‘Help, my mum is addicted to buying fake designer bags online’

SINGAPORE: A local Reddit user recently took to the platform to ask for advice from others on how to deal with a situation concerning their mother, who watches Facebook live every night and has probably spent thousands of dollars on counterfeit luxury handbags.

The post author explained that their mum buys from live streamers who claim their goods are “factory rejects” or “free gifts from the store,” although in reality, the flimsy plastic packaging they come in should be a dead giveaway.

Aside from the bags, the mum buys shirts, dresses, and other items in large volumes, to the point that the post author wrote, “Our beds are all storage beds, and it’s all filled with her unworn clothes.”

However, the post author has compassion for their mum, who she says works 10 to 11 hours a day. For her, shopping is a stress reliever.

Their mum earns a decent wage each month, and while the post author acknowledged that it’s her mum’s prerogative to spend this any way she chooses, the knowledge that their mum’s hard-earned money just goes to these live streamers, whom they consider to be scammers, breaks their heart.

When some commenters suggested that the post author bring their mum to a luxury-goods appraiser for her to see how fake they really are, the post author said she would not want to submit her mother to such a humiliating experience, especially in public.

Others offered other solutions.

“Make a police report against these FB live sellers. It’s illegal in SG to sell fake luxury goods,” one wrote.

Another suggested that there may be underlying issues with the mum, writing that she may be “over-shopping to compensate for some problem.”

“Yeah, the tldr is my mum’s life is just tough, so there’s a part of me that just wants to close one eye and just let her have this dopamine hit,” the post author replied.

A suggestion that the post author appeared to find helpful was one that involved spending more time with their mum.

“I haven’t really spent time with my mum other than just dinners or lunches. Even when I show my love to her, it’s via buying things, but not really spending time with her. So physical items are probably just a huge source of comfort for her. Thank you for your comment and helping me realise this!!” the post author wrote. /TISG

Read also: Singaporean woman loses S$4,600 in online scratch-off lottery scam by foreign livestreamer